The peace of a relaxing summer's afternoon was shattered when a tree fell and crashed into two Thorpe St Andrew homes, leaving children nursing injuries.
The giant oak came crashing down on to two homes in Hansell Road at about 2pm yesterday. It smashed into the extension of one house and damaged the guttering and garden of a neighbouring property.
Terry and Janet Phillips were in their back garden, with their grandchildren, when the tree came fell into their garden, narrowly missing their bungalow.
They heard a loud creak before they saw the toppling tree, but they said it was the sound of children screaming from their next-door- neighbour's home that scared them the most.
Their daughter, Sharon Phillips, dashed into the house to call 999 and Mr Phillips ran round to help.
He said: 'When we heard the children screaming our first thought was that one of them was stuck under the tree – it fell right into their glass family room.
'I ran round to see if everyone was okay and was banging on the door, but luckily – and by sheer luck – the children had cuts and scratches on their feet from the glass, but they were all ok.
'It fell right into our garden, where my wife and I usually sit and our grandchildren had been running around all day. Things could have been so much worse.'
The tree's trunk remains in place in the Loke, between Hansell Road and South Hill Road.
This particular oak has long been a concern for a number of residents, who have been contacting Broadland District Council to ask for the tree – which is protected – to be cut down.
Mr Phillips added: 'It has a conservation order on it, but I have been telling the council of my concerns since 1978.
'Workers were here around 10 days ago working on the tree because it is dangerous, but said that they needed more specialist equipment, so they would come back with it soon.
'Children use the Loke to walk to school. It is so dangerous. If the council had just come and listened this might not have happened. The poor children were all shook up.'
The Evening News contacted Broadland District Council, but a spokesman said he was unable to comment last night.
Mr and Mrs Phillips' neighbours did not wish to comment about the incident.
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